Public transportation is one of the most innovative and constructive concepts of the 20th century. Theoretically, it has the potential to make millions of people’s daily commute faster and easier. That is the idea, but in practice it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the growing problems associated with the daily commute for D.C. professionals and tourists alike.
For those who use metro for their daily commute to their jobs in the greater D.C. metropolitan area, the aggravations and continuing dissatisfaction with the quality of service has been become compounded by the July 1st fare hikes that are costing commuters far more than most feel they are receiving in return. A ride that once cost $1.85 (and only a few years ago, $1.35) is now $2.05. Many commuters can spend upwards of $12.00 per day on their commute to and from work.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance, and operate a balanced regional transportation system in the national capital area. The Authority began building its rail system in 1969, acquired four regional bus systems in 1973, and began operating the first phase of Metrorail in 1976. Today, Metrorail serves 86 stations and has 106 miles of track. Metrobus serves the nation’s capital 24 hours a day, seven days a week with 1,500 buses. Metrorail and Metrobus serve a population of 3.4 million within a 1,500-square mile jurisdiction. Metro began its paratransit service, MetroAccess, in 1994; it provides about 1.5 million trips per year.
Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States in number of passenger trips, after the New York City Subway. There were 215.3 million trips, or 727,684 trips per weekday, on Metro in fiscal year 2008. In June 2008, Metro set a new monthly ridership record with 19,729,641 trips, or 798,456 per weekday. Fares vary based on the distance traveled, the time of day, and the type of card used by the passenger. Riders enter and exit the system using a stored-value card in the form of a paper magnetic stripe farecard or a proximity card known as SmarTrip.
A recent article in U.S. News and World Report ticked off a list of common gripes and concerns of riders. To name a few:
• Escalators are disabled and not fixed promptly
• Increasing schedule delays
• Lines are frequently shut down
Continuing frustration for commuters and tourists are on the rise, and rarely a week goes by where there isn’t an article or news story telling some tale of woe encountered by metro passengers.
For the millions of people who rely on metro for their daily commute to their jobs in D.C. and the surrounding area, the frustration and concern is not a laughing matter. Delays during rush hour can cause serious problems for employees whose work schedule can be affected, and it is equally frustrating for commuters to be delayed after working all day and wishing to arrive home at an expected hour.
Diana M. Rodriguez is a native Washingtonian who currently works as a professional writer, blogger, social media expert, commentator, editor and public affairs practitioner. Diana previously worked as an editor and senior communications analyst for the Department of Defense.
